Legislation to protect personal information of Kentuckians who request absentee ballots passed the House Committee on Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs on Tuesday.

Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes has pushed for the changes so that potential vote buyers can’t use open records requests before the election to figure out which voters requested absentee ballots.

“Currently, we are allowing the opportunity, not just for groups, but for individuals to contact the individuals who requested an absentee ballot to request, to exploit, to persuade,” she told the committee.

The bill, House Bill 203, “works to free those who are rightly entitled to participate in our absentee voting program from the reality and fear of victims of vote buying or undue influence,” Grimes added.

The bill, which is sponsored by Rep. Daryl Owens, D-Louisville, has the support of the Kentucky Press Association because absentee numbers would still be open
to disclosure after the election, Grimes said.

About Don Weber

Don Weber joined cn|2 when it launched back in May 2010 and soon became a reporter for Pure Politics. He is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University and has spent many years covering everything from politics to sports. Don says he loves meeting new people everyday as part of his job and also enjoys the fact that no two days are the same when he comes to work. Don Weber can be reached at donald.weber@twcnews.com.